The present invention relates to a packaged food product suitable for microwave heating, a method of heating a food product, and a method of packaging a food product.
Over recent years the popularity of food items that may be stored in a refrigerator or freezer and subsequently transferred to a microwave oven for cooking or reheating has risen. Consumers prefer such food products to be provided in containers suitable both for storage in refrigerators or freezers and for heating the food product by subjecting it to microwave radiation. Such products may be purchased as chilled or frozen items that can be stored at home and subsequently heated in a microwave oven. Alternatively, such products may be purchased from vending machines comprising a refrigerated unit and a microwave oven unit.
For certain food products, in particular those such as soups and stews that have a high water content and a substantially uniform consistency, microwave heating presents no particular difficulty and generally produces satisfactory results. All the consumer has to do is to remove the packaged food product from the refrigerator, make one or two vent holes in the packaging and then heat it in a microwave oven for an appropriate time.
However, for other types of food product it is much more difficult to achieve an acceptable result. These include in particular food products that comprise two or more components having different consistencies, such as a hamburger sandwich comprising a meat patty in a split bread bun. The bread has a much lower water content than the meat patty and heats much more rapidly. Therefore, when the sandwich is heated sufficiently to raise the temperature of the patty to an acceptable level, excessive heating of the bread takes place. As a result, moisture is driven out of the bread and it becomes hard if it is heated without packaging, or the bread becomes soggy if it is heated while packaged, owing to condensation of moisture from the patty. The resulting product is of a poor and generally unacceptable quality.
Problems also arise in relation to other food products, such as those that need to develop a crust or that require a degree of browning, which cannot be achieved by the simple use of microwave heating.
Recently, the use of microwave susceptors has improved the quality of certain microwave food products, such as hand held snacks. Microwave susceptors are devices having an electrically conductive layer that is heated when exposed to microwave energy. The susceptor absorbs a portion of the microwave energy and converts it into heat, which can be used to crispen foodstuffs. Success requires the susceptor to heat faster than the food article to be heated. Continuous heating occurs until a maximum temperature (approximately 200xc2x0 C.) is reached, and the susceptor behaves like a conventional oven up to this time. Thereafter, the susceptor begins to break down and becomes transparent to microwave energy. However, the use of a microwave susceptor alone has had only limited success owing to the required length of cooking time, which in turn causes overheating and hardening of the bread.
The use of a mixture of gases, usually CO2 and N2, in sealed hand-held snack packs to deliver extended shelf life has been known for a number of years. The process is usually referred to as xe2x80x9cgas flushingxe2x80x9d, or C.A.P. (controlled atmosphere packing) or M.A.P. (modified atmosphere packing) and involves the evacuation of air from the pack, to inhibit the growth of aerobic pathogens, and replacing air with an inert gas mixture of N2 and CO2 which inhibits pathogen growth. This process can deliver a longer shelf live, for example up to 25 days for chilled hand-held products.
Various different kinds of packaging have been developed to allow different types of food product to be heated using microwaves. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,099 describes food packaging comprising a corrugated sheet of a susceptor material that is wrapped at least partially around a food product. During heating, the susceptor material absorbs some of the microwave energy and is heated, re-emitting that energy as infrared radiation to brown or crisp the food product.
EP0294087A describes a microwave food product comprising an elongate bag having a seal that opens during heating to allow vapours to vent from the bag. The bag is made from paper and includes a susceptor at a location where the bag will contact the floor of the microwave oven.
EP1190960A describes a packaging assembly for food products that is particularly suited for use in dispensing machines. The package has a paper inner wrapper and a plastic outer wrapper to preserve freshness, and includes a susceptor attached to the outer wrapper that heats to open the outer wrapper and assist in heating the food.
Although the packaging products described in the aforementioned patents improve the microwave heating of certain foods, we have found that they do not solve all the problems associated with other food products, in particular those comprising two or more components that have different consistencies and require different degrees of heating.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a packaged food product suitable for microwave heating, and a method of heating a food product, that mitigates at least some of the aforesaid problems. It is also desirable, although not essential, that the food package should be capable of preserving the food product and protecting it against contamination during handling and transportation, and that it should allow the food product to be heated with the minimum of preparation by the consumer.
According to the present invention there is provided a packaged food product suitable for microwave heating, the package including a microwave susceptor, a sealed container that encloses the food product and the microwave susceptor, and a gas sealed within the container, the container having at least one releasably sealed opening that is adapted to vent gas from the package during heating, the susceptor being disposed adjacent the food product to shield at least a portion of the food product against microwave heating, whilst simultaneously heating said portion by infrared radiation.
The susceptor is arranged to shield a portion of the food product that has a relatively low water content, to prevent over-heating of that portion of the product by microwave radiation. At the same time, the susceptor is heated by the absorbed microwave radiation and emits infrared radiation, which heats the adjacent portion of the food product. Another portion of the food product, which generally has a higher water content, is left substantially unshielded. The unshielded portion of the food product is heated by the microwave radiation, thereby ensuring that all the components of the food product are heated evenly. To achieve these aims effectively, the susceptor is located adjacent the portion of the food product that requires shielding/infrared heating.
The container is initially sealed, thereby protecting the food product against contamination. During heating, the container remains sealed initially, thereby containing the expanding gas and the steam emitted from the food product, and increasing the speed at which the product is heated. After a predetermined time, the container vents to release gas and steam from the package, to prevent the food product becoming soggy due to absorbed moisture.
We have found that this combination of a susceptor that is disposed adjacent the food product to shield at least a portion of the food product against microwave heating, whilst simultaneously heating said portion by infrared radiation, and a container that encloses the food product and the microwave susceptor and has at least one releasably sealed opening that vents gas from the package during heating is highly effective and produces excellent results when used for heating food products such as hamburger sandwiches that are normally extremely difficult to heat satisfactorily in a microwave oven.
Advantageously, the susceptor is adapted to remain in close proximity with the food product during heating. This solves a problem with certain previous food packages, in which the susceptor is part of the outer wrapper and therefore moves away from the food product as the container expands. In order to achieve a satisfactory result, we have found that it is highly desirable for the susceptor to remain in close proximity with the food product throughout the heating process. Preferably, the susceptor is separate from the container.
The susceptor advantageously covers at least the top and bottom of the food product, to shield those portions against microwave heating. The susceptor preferably partially or completely surrounds the food product. The susceptor may includes a tear strip to assist removal after heating. In one preferred embodiment, the susceptor comprises an open-ended sleeve that covers the top and bottom and the two sides of the food product.
Preferably, the susceptor comprises a metallised film on a microwaveable substrate. The microwaveable substrate preferably comprises a sheet of paper or card.
In a preferred embodiment, the container comprises a flexible wrapper. The wrapper may include a membrane, which may be either a single structure or a laminated/co-extruded combination of materials selected from a group including polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyamide (nylon), polyester, polyolefin and cellulose based products such as cellophane. In one embodiment, the membrane has a laminar structure comprising an outer layer of orientated nylon laminated to an inner layer of polyethylene.
In another embodiment, the container comprises a tray with a removable lid.
Preferably, the container is substantially impermeable to the contained gas.
The releasably sealed opening may comprise a seam of the container. The releasably sealed opening is preferably adapted to vent gas from the package at a predetermined excess pressure. The releasably sealed opening may be sealed by heat crimping. The container may include a plurality of seams having different seal strengths, whereby the weaker seams are adapted to vent during heating whereas the stronger seams remain intact.
In one embodiment, the packaging comprises at least one releasably sealed opening and at least one sealed opening, wherein the releasably sealed opening is sealed at a first temperature and the sealed opening is sealed at a second, higher temperature. Preferably the first temperature is 165xc2x0 C. and the second temperature 180xc2x0 C.
Advantageously, the container is substantially transparent to microwave radiation. The container may be clear, so as to enable the food item to be visible during preparation.
Advantageously, the contained gas has preservative properties, to prolong the shelf life of the food product. The contained gas may be selected from a group of gases including one or a combination of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, oxygen, carbon monoxide or other gases. Preferably the gas comprises a combination of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
The food product may include a plurality of components having different compositions, including a first component having a relatively low water content and a second component having a higher water content. The first component may be selected from a group including bread, pastry, batter and cereal-based products, and the second component may be selected from a group including meat, fruit, vegetables, sauces, eggs, cheese, milk, milk products and combinations thereof. The susceptor preferably covers at least a substantial portion of the first component, whilst leaving at least a substantial portion of the second component uncovered.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of heating a packaged food product as defined by any one of the preceding statements of invention, the method comprising heating the packaged food product using microwave radiation for a predetermined combination of power and time settings, said combination of power and time settings being selected such that during a first part of the heating period the temperature and pressure of gas sealed within the container increases, and during a second part of the heating process the releasably sealed opening opens to vent gas from the container, and wherein the microwave susceptor shields at least a portion of the food product against microwave heating whilst simultaneously heating said portion by infrared radiation.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of packaging a food product, in which a food product and a microwave susceptor are placed in a container with the susceptor adjacent the food product, the container is flushed with gas of a controlled composition and the container is sealed to contain the gas, said container having at least one releasably sealed opening that is adapted to vent gas from the package during heating.
The susceptor may be positioned to cover at least the top and bottom of the food product. Advantageously, food product is placed in an open-ended susceptor sleeve, and the sleeved food product is placed in the container.
According to one preferred embodiment, the container comprises a flexible wrapper, and the container is sealed by heat crimping. The releasably sealed opening advantageously comprises a seam of the container.
Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the following figures: